The Chronicle

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

It's rare that our children will have a direct link with the wonderful world of professional theatre. So, it was with great pleasure that we welcomed Tom, a former Crackley Hall pupil, to our school hall, for an 'audience with' style afternoon during their Drama lesson, where the amassed ranks were energised with his experiences, tales and workshops. 

This was no simple 'how-to' tick list, but more a hands-on walk through what his rehearsal days consist of, including singing and dancing workshops, with naturally enough Tom showcasing his own talents as a finale. With such talent on show it's no surprise that Tom has trod the boards for the Royal Shakespeare Company in shows as varied as Matilda, where he played Bruce, Julius Caesar and A Christmas Carol.

Many thanks for coming Tom, we do hope you enjoyed your slice of cake and trust you'll already have an idea what you might spend your book token on.  

'Every act of kindness counts, no matter how small.' So was the message of giving brought to life by Mrs Porretta (Grandmother to Andrew, J6V) in a most engaging story of, a former Crackley pupil, her grandaughter Thalia's charitable deeds during collective worship. 

Mrs Porretta told our pupils of Thalia's good work for the homeless; a fund raising drive that originally took inspiration from an award winning picture penned by Thalia. Close inspection of the artwork revealed a homeless person sat in a rain-soaked doorway, almost invisible to all apart from a girl, who is Thalia, pictured underneath an umbrella. What began as a picture quickly turned into campaign, and cards with this scene can now be purchased for a donation from the school office, with the money going to Shelter, the charity for the homeless. Certainly, Chris Edwards, who is the Chief Operations Officer for Hope Coventry and closely associated with the Coventry Night Shelter, would greatly appreciate your support.

This week J5R hosted Year 1 from St Augustine's School, Kenilworth in the school hall for Collective worship where they reflected on 'being unique' and 'God's creation'. During the session a range of activities focused our young charges on the topic at hand. These began with the snap of scissors for the joint making of a prayer chain, then coloured fingers applied to paper in the form of a sunflower; both of which sought to emphasise the notion of our individual uniqueness as part of 'God's creation.'

Clearly, the idea of nurture wasn't lost on our guests, as they planted sunflower seeds whilst being invited by Crackley pupils to reflect on those things that we all needed to nurture and develop. To finish, both joined together in a rousing rendition of 'My God, is a Great Big God', followed by a heartfelt prayer read aloud by Martha. 

We are very grateful for Mrs Jackson-Mayne (J4J Class Teacher and RE Coordinator) for organising such a special day, and to the pupils of J5R for being such dedicated, kind and able hosts. 

This week the good folk of Warwick University's UNICEF Department called into Junior 6 to raise awareness of issues relating to gender across the world. The thought-provoking presentation and workshop sought to make our pupils reflect on the life experiences of others around the world.

Firstly, the children were asked to write down the type of work they would like to do when they are older. Then they were asked to consider the job they had written down - did this reveal anything about the choices that they were free to make? For example, wanting to be a firefighter might have no meaning here, but in many parts of the world stereotyping and prejudice persists often to the detriment of all. 

Mrs Horan summed up the empathetic feeling that spread across both classes, "It was a most interesting and informative presentation that made you realise how hugely important gender equality is.  We should all be free to follow our dreams and encourage others to pursue theirs." 

This Monday students from Warwick University's UNICEF Department came to our lovely school to host a most interesting seminar on climate change for the great geographers that comprise Junior 4.

Tied in with our current Geography curricular topics of reduce, reuse and recycle our guests focused in on how our actions with regards to greenhouse gases have implications for each other and our precious blue planet.

And so a most entertaining and informative seminar unfolded before the children of J4H and J4J.  Beginning with the Paris Agreement of 2020 and ending with a most enlightening insight into the plight of the many Mongolians and Indians choked by both car and coal pollution.  It was shocking to find out that some children on the Indian sub-continent are afraid of dogs, only because they are unable to see them in the smog that surrounds them, in their towns and cities.

We are indebted to Mrs Lammas (J5L Class Teacher and Geography Coordinator) for inviting such engaging and enlightening speakers to enrich the lives and understanding of our students. 

On Friday 25 January, pupils from Junior 4 and Junior 5 joined over 6,000 other local school children to sing their hearts out at the annual Young Voices concert at the Genting Arena in Birmingham. 

Following a full afternoon’s rehearsal under the inspirational conductorship of David Lawrence, the children were ready to perform, to amaze the audience and to have the time of their lives. 

Performing this year were 15-year-old Beau Dermott, whose big voice got her a golden buzzer on Britain's Got Talent in 2016, Sharlene Hector, lead vocalist of Basement Jaxx, and world-wide superstar, Tony Hadley!! Dance troupe Urban Strides also had the whole arena on their feet joining in with their catchy routines.

For everyone involved it was an unforgettable afternoon and evening, a fabulous spectacle, a celebration of all sorts of music, an experience that will stay with them for a lifetime.